Ferric Ancestry
by Nemesis13
Summary: Kaiser was surprised when Iron Rain wanted to meet him in secret, Max was downright shocked that Annette was married and was walking away from the Empire due to her pregnancy. He went along with faking her death since he hated their father just as much as she did. Years later, he found out she truly died, leaving behind a grieving daughter. Max had a niece, Taylor...how interesting
1. Prologue

**I honestly considered not posting this here since I am beyond sick to death of people bitching about me having so many stories, to stay focused, yatta yatta yatta, but I figured, what the hell, why not?**

**This was the product of insomnia, a random idea that I may do more with if I get enough response, so without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Kaiser had been more than a little surprised when he had received the summons from his older sister, Iron Rain had been quiet for some time now, only appearing in public when their father demanded it and even then she had not shown her previous zeal during the rallies. In fact she had seemed almost sullen; near disgusted as she echoed Allfather's ideology, something Kaiser himself had never actually believed in but readily took advantage of.

Power was power after all, if you needed to pretend to be a racist bigot in order to maintain your control over your useful idiots to continue your ongoing profit, so be it.

Still, this was…so highly irregular he had nearly asked Krieg to come along as backup in case this was some elaborate scheme to catch him off guard and remove him from the line of succession but…that was not how Iron Rain operated. Despite her power set, she was a politically subtle woman, her little stint with Lustrum did not actually count since she had bailed on the movement the moment they had gained the Protectorate's attention.

Always the observant one, Iron Rain was.

That being said _this_ was not subtle in the slightest and that fact alone was really all that kept him from keeping his best friend knowing what he was about to get himself involved with.

After all, Iron Rain was the only member of his family that he did not detest on an intrinsic level.

So, entering the Denny's restaurant he was supposed to be meeting his sister in he quickly found her sulking in a back corner booth and made his way to her, taking a seat he smiled at her blandly as she pulled a dark lock of hair behind her ear meeting his gaze evenly.

"Max," she stated flatly.

"Annette, shall we dispense with formalities and discuss what this meeting is all about?"

His sister sighed, leaned back into the cheap pleather seat while lifting her glasses high enough to rub her eyes in frustration before suddenly leaning forward, placing her arms on the table she shot him a tired look and smiled wanly, "I want out."

What?

He blinked then raised an eyebrow, "Pardon?"

"I. Want. Out."

She over enunciated each word and her meaning was clear, she wanted out of the Empire Eighty-Eight, she wanted out of the cape life, she wanted to leave her heritage behind.

Interesting.

"Why?"

She was silent for a time, then she raised her left hand exposing the gold ring that he had previously not noticed, he took in a sharp breath, "You married? Allfather promised you to-"

"Allfather can fuck the fuck off to whatever fucking hell he is fucking destined to and I hope that Satan himself fucks him up the ass on a daily basis for fucking eternity."

Max couldn't help snorting out an amused laugh as he shot Annette a wry smile, "Well you have certainly expressed the diversity of the word I will say that much. Why though, what changed?"

She sighed, shook her head then moved her gaze towards the window, "College, life, living, experiencing existence outside of father's pathetic little bubble. Did you know I had a girlfriend through my late freshman and sophomore years?"

He blinked in shock at that while shaking his head, "Hell no I didn't know, how the hell did that happen?"

A coy smile crossed her expressive lips as she shrugged slightly, "Clubs, alcohol, and extrovert roommates are a thing. After I had my worldview shattered in my first month at college I…rebelled a bit…a lot. If Allfa….if _father_ wouldn't approve of it, well it seemed like a good idea to give it a shot. It sort of became a running theme for me and eventually it led me to my future husband.

Max relaxed at that, so her spouse was a man, that would make this an easier sale for father at the very least.

Sighing wistfully she shook her head slowly as she continued on, "I met Danny at a bar shortly after a Lustrum rally, I was fired up, looking for a fight, and he just sort of…shut me down. He was quiet, intelligent, and wanted to discuss my views and…our arguments would get heated sure, but the thing is Max? I kept coming back to that bar to argue with him, eventually the arguments turned to debates, then…dates, then…I don't know when it happened but I fell for him."

Max shook his head slowly while letting out a dry chuckle, "The mighty Iron Rain taken down by the power of love, oh how the poets shall weep."

His sister shot him a very annoyed glare while flipping him off, this made him chuckle more which she simply rolled her eyes at before continuing on with her story.

"Anyway, I graduated, we got married, and I kept toeing the line with father's demands that I perform my duties required of me by the Empire and I just sort went through the motions until…until recently, when things changed."

Her emotional shift gained Max's attention immediately, "Dear sister, _what_ changed?"

She wringed her hands for a few moments, took in a few deep breaths, then met his gaze evenly while smiling brightly, "I'm going to be a mother."

His elder sister, his role model, one of the most terrifyingly dangerous members of the Empire Eighty-Eight was pregnant, and she looked like a blushing maiden while stating as much.

Reality was most certainly more fanciful than fiction.

"I…see…"

Annette raised a brow at that, "Do you? Do you really?"

Max was quiet for a time before he nodded slowly, "You don't want father anywhere near your child, that's why you want out isn't it?"

She nodded, and he understood completely.

"He'll hunt you down you know, no one, especially his own progenies walks away from the Empire."

She smiled slyly at that while shrugging, "I already had a meeting with Marquis, he has agreed to take credit for my murder, even has the body of a rather unfortunate overdose victim to brutalize as a stand in. For all intents and purposes Annette Anders is dead to the world as of tomorrow morning, and so shall Iron Rain for that matter."

Max stared at his sister for a few moments, then sighed, "A done deal then?"

She nodded, "Yes, I just…thought my little brother should know."

Pinching the bridge of his nose Max closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, then let out a sigh before he dropped his hand to the table and met her gaze evenly, "What is the man who made you abandon your legacy's name?"

Annette smiled in turn, "Danny, Danny Hebert."

Max nodded, stood up adjusting his shirt, then nodded, "I hope he is worth it. I wish you a good life sister dear, and rest assured…father will never hear of this."

He could see tears gather at the corner of her eyes as she smiled back at him, "Thank you, little brother…"

* * *

Max Anders ran the Empire Eighty-Eight much like his father had, primarily because it worked and if a system functioned without your constant overview he felt there was very little need to change things up. Sure over the past decade he had to tweak things here and there; Marquis having to squirrel off to Boston after the Brockton Bay Brigade had violated every facette of the unwritten rules had massively destabilized the city. The no holds bar free for all that had kicked up had taken literal years to repair and had actually caused the disbandment of the idiotic super hero team which caused even _further_ problems as Brandish and Lady Photon founded their own new teams in the aftermath.

On the plus side, they were at least predictable, Brandish's band of fools, the 'True Path' were impulsive, violent, and didn't heed to any sort of authority but their own and had the Protectorate on their asses more often than not. Lady Photon's Minute Men though were cold, calculating, and would not strike unless they had a guaranteed victory, a mindset Max could appreciate.

That change was acceptable if annoying, it was the arrival of Lung and the unification of the myriad of Asian gangs into the ABB that gave Max constant headaches, they were not even that well equipped but every time they got into a turf war the Empire had a fucking _dragon_ to deal with.

Seriously sometimes being a crime lord was just not worth the goddamn effort, if his ego would allow it he'd probably just wash his hands of this entire E88 thing and focus his efforts on Medhall. Unfortunately he enjoyed the adulation, something his soon to be ex-wife had pointed out before she had smashed a perfectly good bottle of twenty year old bourbon on his head before stomping out of their penthouse during their last, final argument.

He wasn't really sure what it said about him that he really didn't know what upset him more, the end of his marriage, or the waste of a perfectly good bottle of liquor.

Likely, nothing pleasant, but such is life.

These were the thoughts mulling through his mind as he read his morning newspaper, as was his wont, and suddenly his meandering thoughts came to a screeching halt as his eyes flicked over the obituaries.

Annette Rose Hebert.

Her picture was there, it was his sister, Iron Rain, and she was dead due to car accident of all the fucking things…

He just…what…

"FUCK!" He picked up the closest object to him, a rather gaudy gargoyle paperweight a client had gifted him with, and threw it at the wall.

As the polystone figure shattered he fell into his chair and let out a vexed sigh, after a few moments of contemplation he picked the paper back up and read the details, and his brows rose slightly.

"Huh…I have a niece…Interesting."


	2. Chapter 1: Taylor

**Written in 45 minutes, think that might be a record for me, enjoy!**

* * *

I honestly didn't know how to feel at the moment, mom was dead, and it was my fault. Dad kept telling me it wasn't my fault, that I was projecting the loss of my personal hero into a sense of guilt.

A sweet sentiment but I knew he was full of shit.

I had called her on her way home from work, I had wanted her to grab burgers, she was laughing with me about the stupid bullshit that happened at school, and then there was a screech of tires, the crash of steel and glass, followed with my mom screaming in agony.

All followed with silence.

The authorities told me it wasn't my fault as well, that she hadn't suffered, but I didn't believe them, an obvious lie to protect a grieving girl's emotions, nothing more, nothing less, just simple…lies.

I had killed my mom…

The molten steel gathering in the palms of my hands frothed and burned as I gritted my teeth while I began hyperventilating again while squeezing my eyes shut, guarding their burning orange glow from the surrounding masses as Emma touched my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

The steel evaporated, and I could finally breath freely again, blinking rapidly I took in a deep breath and glanced towards her while she shot me a wan smile, her caring gaze giving my internal fires time to simmer down.

"Thanks Emes….really…"

Emma smiled in return while muttering, "Nothing to thank me for Hero, we're running late for class and you're my excuse for running late right?"

"Wait what?!"

"Back to school!" Emma stated with faux cheer, dragging her smiling friend in her wake as we weaved through the masses before them.

School, as it happened, sucked beyond words, the only thing that made it palatable was Emma commenting on all the stupid inane BS we were required by law to process. Mom had been tutoring me for years, not just with my powers but academics, she'd never had any faith in the public education system and to be perfectly blunt neither did I. This was all more or less lip service to the governments education requirements and an effort to force me to socialize with the unwashed masses.

Even through all the guilt I was stewing in I still had to question _why_ my mom insisted I learned to tolerate these people through attrition, it was vexing beyond words and the simple fact that most of my '_peers' _wouldn't even know what the word vexing meant just made it more so.

I was perpetually surrounded by idiots and I wasn't allowed to do anything about…clearing the herd so to speak. I quashed that thought down quickly, dad wouldn't approve and I had to remind myself yet again that while mom was a wonderful caring person some of her viewpoints from her youth were unpalatable to most people despite how they sometimes creeped into her lessons.

"Hey Taylor, got any plans for this weekend?"

A boy had approached me, I…think his name was Steve? Or was it Josh? Michel?

"Yes, I'm helping my dad pack up my mom's things for storage."

He stammered at that as both Emma and I gave him flat looks, Steve/Josh/Michel was it Daren? Maybe it was Daren? Whatever, he ran a hand through his hair then shot me a sheepish smile, "Oh…uh I was wondering if you were free to go see a movie or something."

Oh dear lord was this a courting ritual? I really…no I did not have time to deal with this bullshit right now, my fault though, mom always told me if you project a continuous aura of confidence it attracted sycophants like insects to a bug zapper.

Effective if you wanted minions or a harem, neither of which I wished for at this time, thanks much. I suppose I could tone it down a bit but…well mom always said our family had a hard time grasping the whole 'humble' thing and I was no exception to that.

He was still standing there, I shot Emma a look and she twitched her left hand pinky slightly, 'let him down gently', ugh, must I?

I smiled, though it most certainly did not meet my eyes, "As I said, I'm busy this weekend, perhaps another time?" You know, maybe not within the same week I _buried_ _my mom_?

Jackass.

He stammered out some sort of inane platitude but I wasn't really paying attention, eventually he walked away and I once again lamented being thirteen, what was it about becoming a teen that made everyone obsessed with entering the dating scene? I'd text Amelia about it later, she was usually spot on when it came to social interactions and unlike mom Mr. Lavere tended to be more of a people person which thankfully rubbed off on his daughter.

What I would give to not intrinsically look down on most everyone around me, it made dealing with the general public tedious and if I didn't have Emma around me I just kept my mouth shut; if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all and all that tripe.

Ugh, whatever.

I went through the rest of my day in a bit of a haze, and while I normally did not learn anything from school today I wasn't even bothering 'phoning it in' so to speak, I just kept thinking about mom's dying scream and my ongoing guilt.

When school let out Emma separated from me to catch her bus and I did the same, the ride home was boring but uneventful, so there was that at least. Getting off the bus in front of my house I paused as I took in the sight of my dad's beaten up pickup truck and…

"Huh…nice Mercedes…"

Eyeing the gleaming car with some honest confusion I headed towards the front door and entered the house while yelling out, "Dad I'm home!"

"In the kitchen kiddo, and we have guests," was his returned yell.

Ugh…probably more well wishers, I tossed my backpack on the floor, entered the kitchen, and met the gaze of an immaculately dressed man. He was blonde, had perfectly sculpted hair and a goatee, practically exuding an aura of smugness as he shot a welcoming smile towards me.

"Ah, this must be Taylor, it is a pleasure to meet you young lady."

That tone was…very familiar…

"Umm, the pleasure is mine I'm sure, I do not wish to appear rude but, who are you exactly?"

He laughed, it was a practiced laugh, a lot like mom's, and then he replied with, "Ah, my apologies, I am your uncle, your mother's brother Max Anders."

I blinked as my mind very nearly blue screened, holy shit, the number one employer in Brockton Bay was fucking _Kaiser?!_

Huh…interesting.


	3. Chapter: Uncle Max

**Special thanks to Temporal Knight for editing and critiquing, expect a time jump soon, enjoy!**

* * *

I refrained from acting on my instinctive desire to grit my teeth and to step back into the hall primarily because it would serve no real purpose, truthfully where would I have to go that I could not be found in less than fifteen minutes?

So, I Instead smiled and flexed my powers which began tentatively pulling the kitchen counter drawers out in case of hostilities while I eyed my dad, uncle and the stoic man sitting beside them.

"Ah, I see," I stated politely while shooting my dad a pointed look, his eyes crinkled in a pained expression as he tapped his left palm with three fingers twice.

FUCK! My uncle knew about my…extracurricular activities…damn it all…just…fine… Ok, whatever, two can play at this game, time to put mom's training to work.

Gathering my control over the silverware I smiled sweetly as I made my way to the stove, "Well, I am assuming you wished to meet with me due to my mom's untimely passing yes?" Pulling the tea kettle off its wall hook I approached the sink and began filling it as my uncle replied in a practiced tone and it…made me feel weird things. It was like listening to mom, but not…and…and I loved it as much as I hated it.

"Yes Annette had gone through a rather extensive effort to disassociate herself from her heritage in order to protect you from the family business, and I honored that decision for better or worse..._but_ with her passing you are adrift. That is where I come in." Spinning around I saw dad wince while feeling a sneer curl up my lips as all of the silverware in the kitchen jumped from the drawers and began spinning around my uncle in a sharpened halo of cutlery death while I did my best to reel in my hatred for this arrogant…monster.

"You are Kaiser," I practically spat the words out feeling something invisible yet beyond filthy on the tip of my tongue as I did so, it was ever so disquieting.

His response was not endearing, the chopping knives joined the rest of the circling eating utensils a moment later, and he had the _audacity_ to chuckle at me as if I were not a true threat, "That will be well enough dear niece, I mean you no harm, I am after all only here to offer some choices and advice. Perhaps we can both assist each other?"

Smiling smugly he leaned back into his chair, and I felt my hand twitch as I realized it was _mom's_ chair he was sitting in, and he completely ignored my silent fury as he nodded towards the man beside him while casually commenting, "This is my second in command, James Fliescher and he's here to help me assess you."

The cutlery was now spinning like a cuisinart while the tea kettle shook in my hands, "Assess what?"

I… I didn't mean to sound so unsure, but…

Uncle Max stared at me for a moment before huffing, his shoulders dropping as he tilted his head to the side, "Honestly, Taylor? I needed to determine whether you were worthy to be my heiress. Judging by your initial reactions, determination, and ruthlessness...I'm quite impressed already."

"I am _not_ a Nazi," I snapped out with next to no thought, and then he had the audacity to _grin _at me while spreading his hands wide to his sides chuckling lightly.

"As I am sure my dear sister had informed you, neither am I in truth, and I believe we've already started out on the wrong foot. As I said, I truly mean you no harm nor do I intend to drag you into the shadier aspects of the family trade. Honestly Annette went through quite an effort to disassociate you from the Empire and it would tarnish her memory if I were to undo her efforts in a moment of pique."

Dad spoke up then, "While that is… reassuring to hear at the very least, it does beg the question of how that relates to wanting my daughter to be your heiress."

Max tilted his head to the side as he let out a practiced sigh, "My son, Theo, is a good boy and while he is still young he does not show any of the more…aggressive and shall we say _ruthless_ tendencies our family seems to expressly exhibit. While on paper Medhall and my Empire would be his birthright, in reality I do not actually think he could handle the pressure of it all, and that dear niece is where you come in."

Color me intrigued. "Alright, I'll bite, where exactly do I play a part in this insanity?"

"You are your mother's daughter," James spoke up for the first time, glancing at the still idly spinning cutlery hovering about them before continuing. "We've done some unobtrusive research on you. Top of your class, popular primarily through natural charisma rather than any intentional effort on your part, captain of your schools debate team, training in multiple forms of martial arts, and you exhibit a dissociative ruthlessness when the situation requires it. Case in point," he said raising a finger to the knives and forks.

I stared at the man blankly for a few moments before managing a reply, "That's…kind of creepy, just letting you know that right off the bat, I think you are creepy." I stared at James for a few moments more who just shrugged slightly while I let out a huff and turned back to my uncle while resignedly asking, "How do you know so much about me?"

Max scoffed, "Off hand? I've had my people researching your history to find out whether or not I had a more viable heir to the throne than my own son so to speak, and thus far I find myself impressed."

I resisted the urge to preen, no, do not preen from compliments given by fucking _Kaiser _girl, even if it makes you feel warm inside with a sense of accomplishment...damn…Still, time to nip this in the bud, "I….I'm gay."

That seemed to freeze whatever my uncle and his tagalong had to say and I distinctly saw my dad raise his hand to hide an amused smile, which in turn caused me to smirk slightly, dad would later tell me I looked just like mom when she pulled something over an obstinate idiot at that moment.

"What?" James spat out, I stared at him with all the unimpressed ire a thirteen year old middle schooler with super powers could.

"I. Am. Gay. Mom was bisexual but preferred men, I'm not bi, I'm a lesbian, figured that shit out last year, so yeah, no Nazis for me, okay? Okay."

I tried for an Emma level 'butter couldn't melt in my mouth' smile but I knew it was a condescending sneer, like mother like daughter after all, ah well.

Then my erstwhile uncle had to derail the entire situation with a scoff and a shoulder shrugging 'meh' equal to my own.

That was…interesting…

Uncle Max met my gaze evenly while shaking his head slowly, "You are so much like Annette, no subtly when you don't care about the situation, just get the job done and move on. I can respect that Taylor, I can respect that quite a bit."

I stared at my uncle for a few moments before dryly stating, "Mom told me bedtime stories of her conjuring anvils above mooks heads at just the right height to reach terminal velocity, 'Loony Toon'ing a Bitch' she called it. I giggled myself to sleep after said stories. Wasn't until I got a bit older that I realized she was telling me about all the unpowered idiots she'd killed under Allfather's orders. Grotesque and tasteless for a small child, yes, but it was still fairly amusing even in retrospect."

Dad, James, and my Uncle Max all stared at me blankly for a few moments, then James turned towards Uncle Max while flatly stating, "Can we keep her?"


End file.
